smoothie sailing

Eye Opener - Serves: 2

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup pitted cherries
• 12 strawberries
• 1 orange, sectioned and seeded

(via The Smoothies Bible:  Second Edition)

I’ve been feeling pretty tired recently - probably because I haven’t been eating any fruits (shame on me!).  The smoothie recipe book I own has a section for different “ailments” and for fatigue this was one of the suggested smoothies.  I liked its name; it was the most provoking (besides “Taste of the Tropics” but those items were a little more challenging to retrieve).

What to do when experiencing fatigue:

Maximize:  Fresh fruits & vegetables; whole grains; nuts and seeds; essential fatty acids

Minimize:  Fat in meat and dairy products; fried foods

This has been my favorite smoothie yet , and as of now, the only one to receive the full 5 out of 5 star rating!  I was concerned the orange/citrus would be too overpowering but the strawberries really evened the flavors out.  I ended up using frozen cherries which made it a nice temperature.  Recently I have been very “pro” using frozen fruits in smoothies because it takes the place of ice and doesn’t water the smoothie down.  Another thing about this smoothie is the items are very easy to obtain.  Fruits like raspberries, blueberries or cranberries might be a little harder to find and are definitely more expensive.

The “eye opener” has certainly opened my eyes up to a delicious smoothie that I wouldn’t mind making a staple in my meal plan!

Rating: ***** (5 out of 5)

Berry Pom Smoothie - Serves: 1

• 1 cup berries (I used strawberries and raspberries)
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 half of a banana
• 1 cup of ice
• Juice of half a lime

(via Laughter, Strength, and Food)

I am super excited because this is my first smoothie with pomegranate juice in it.  My first encounter with pomegranate juice was a little over a year ago when I experimented with a pomegranate cherry flavored Nantucket Nectar at Chipotle.  I was feeling daring and I loved it.   My love for pomegranate juice helped me get over the Oxford comma in this smoothie source’s site name.

Note:  One lime = approx. 2 tbsp of lime juice

But anyway, this smoothie was really refreshing.  The consistency wasn’t as thick as the others, which I enjoyed a lot.  Although it included samples of various fruits, one didn’t really stand out.  It was a nice medley of flavors that, when focusing, one could isolate each one - not unlike when Violet could taste each course of the meal when she chewed Willy Wonka’s gum.  I haven’t turned into a pomegranate, though…yet.

Rating: **** (4 out of 5)

 Plums Up - Serves: 3 or 4

• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 plums, quartered
• 1 pineapple wedge, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cantaloupe, cubed

(via The Smoothies Bible:  Second Edition)

I had an interview today and this was my way of celebrating since it seemed to go well.  And this is my first smoothie ever to include cantaloupe!  Yes, we CANaloupe! 

Note:  One fresh wedge of pineapple equals approximately 1 cup (250ml) chopped.  Frozen, canned or dried pineapple may be substituted for fresh in smoothies.

This is my favorite smoothie in a while and not just because of its already hilario name. The appearance of the plum skin flecks upset me at first, but I got over my OCD when I tasted the mediated and refreshing citrus flavor.  The cantaloupe really brought something nice to it and I wouldn’t mind having this again in the near future!

Rating: **** (4 out of 5)

Apple Cooler [modified] - Serves: 2

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 apples, quartered
• 1 orange, seeded and sectioned
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries  cranberries

(via The Smoothies Bible:  Second Edition)

It’s not that I don’t like raspberries, in fact, I love them!  Raspberries taste delicious.  My favorite artificial tootsie pop flavoring is raspberry.  And one of my favorite quotes from Spaceballs is:

Dark Helmet: Raspberry. There’s only one man who would dare give me the raspberry: Lone Star!

The short of it is that I just didn’t have raspberries in the freezer and I read somewhere it’s okay to replace a -berry with a -berry.  So cranberries it is!

It was really quite good.  I might be biased because apples are my favorite fruit (side note: I used Granny Smith apples).  It had a nice consistency.  My only complaint is that it just wasn’t cold enough.  I thought the OJ and frozen cranberries would give it enough “oomph” but I guess I should just add ice next time.  They should change the name to Apple WARM-er!  Am I right???

Rating: **** (4 out of 5)

 Pineapple-C - Serves: 3

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange or pineapple juice
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 12 strawberries
• 1 pineapple wedge, cut into chunks

(via The Smoothies Bible:  Second Edition)

Look, ma’, I’m back on the horse!  First smoothie in a while, guys.  I don’t really have any good excuse for my absence except maybe for the fact that I’ve been living in a state of unhealthy bliss horror with no fruit in my life.

Anyway, this one was a fine return!  I followed this straight from the recipe - I ended up using pineapple juice instead of orange juice, though, up top.  Additionally, I used frozen strawberries. 

Tip:  You can use fresh and frozen fruit interchangeably in most smoothies, although the results will differ.  Frozen fruit not only chills a smoothie, it thickens it, as well.

It was a nice consistency.  And it looks like if you put anything even remotely red into your smoothie, it turns it pink.  Nice taste, but a little too tart for me.  The finish tasted like SweeTarts.  For those sweet and tart lovers out there, this smoothie is for you!

Rating: *** (3 out of 5)

Cranberry Pineapple - Serves: 2

• 3/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• 2 pineapple wedges, cut into chunks
• 1 apple, quartered

Yum!  This was quite nice.  I ate it with breakfast (scrambled eggs & an english muffin) and it was really refreshing.  Unfortunately, the cranberry was kind of lost in the pineapple but I don’t mind.  There was an interesting frothy texture to it which I wasn’t a huge fan of at first, but it grew on me.  A texture that I wouldn’t mind too much if I was drinking it out of a straw from a jamba juice cup.

Rating:  **** (4 out of 5)

I have been so busy and not feeling too well recently!  The latter means more smoothies!  Although I should probably consider one with Vitamin C next time.

Cinnamon Pear Smoothie - Serves: 2 to 3

• 1 ripe banana, broken into several pieces
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and coarsely diced
• 1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt or soy yogurt
• 1 cup apple juice or apple cider
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

(via cookstr)

Not bad, not bad.  Used the regular vanilla low-fat yogurt and the apple cider.  It really was pretty good.  I really liked the cinnamon aspect - really reminded me of autumn aka my favorite season.  Although it also weirdly reminded me of oatmeal?  Perhaps it was the consistency or the fact my favorite flavor is the apple cinnamon so I have some weird conditioning to cinnamon.  I should also maybe reconsider rating something’s flavor when I can’t breathe out of my nose.

Also, this was my first smoothie I drank out of a straw.  TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Rating:  *** (3 out of 5)

Hey! Long time no smoothie. I was really hoping my next smoothie would have chocolate in it but that will have to wait for another time - the lack of fruit in my diet prevails.

Autumn Refresher - Serves 3

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 
• 2 pears, quartered 
• 1 peach, chopped 
• 1 apple, quartered 

 (via The Smoothies Bible: Second Edition)

For the apple, I ended up using only half because the honeycrisp apple I bought was quite large and I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough room in my blender! And since peaches are apparently out of season, either that or the Key Food just didn’t have them, I had to use canned sliced peaches. It probably worked out better because they’re a softer consistency and easier to blend. Anyway, I used 8 slices.

This smoothie was really a delight! I was pleasantly surprised by the nice crispness to the flavor. The lime brings a welcoming “zing” to it.

By the way, guys, I think this is my best picture yet! Garnishing it with a pear slice was clutch.

Rating: **** (4 out of 5)

I’m pleased to see that someone has made use of my “Submit a Recipe” option on the right sidebar!  Here’s our first reader submission:

Super Sweet Smoothie - Serves:  2

• Maraschino cherries (the juice too)
• A can of 7Up® (or Sprite®)
• Canned pears (juice optional)

(submitted by Michael T. Astolfi, via wikiHow)

So when I first saw this recipe, I was a little nervous.  Should I schedule a cautionary dentist appointment?  I ended up using 10 cherries, 12oz of 7UP and about half a can of canned pears.  I’ve never had cherry 7Up, but I imagine this is exactly what it would taste like.  It really wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be, and my teeth seem to still be in place.  I wouldn’t recommend this as a nutritious smoothie, but try it out as a dessert.

Rating:  *** (3 out of 5)

Back from the weddings with a smoothie vengeance!  Since a lot of smoothies are going to be called “Banana Smoothie, “Strawberry Smoothie” or “Peach Smoothie,” I’m going to start naming them a name of my creation if it’s already taken.

Which brings me to tonight’s smoothie:

Peach Sunset (or Peach Smoothie) - Serves:  4

• 1 1/2 cups orange sherbet
• 1 ( 11.5 ounce ) can peach nectar
• 1 (16 ounce ) package frozen peaches or 2 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
• 1 banana
• 1 cup cubed or crushed ice
• optional: fresh peach slices and fresh mint

(via GroupRecipes)

Okay!  Since the local Astoria Key Food apparently doesn’t have orange sherbet, I went with Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbet.  For info. about sherbet vs. sorbet check out this link.  As for the peaches, for convenience sake I used a container of canned, sliced peaches and just drained the syrup they were in.  

That being said this was a delightful creation!  It was a nice medley of flavors; not one was too overwhelming or stood out.  I could actually taste each of the ingredients.  I made this after my dinner, which was a chicken wrap, and it was a really refreshing dessert.  One of my favs so far!

And since this one made 4 servings, I have a lot extra for later!  See below for how full my blender was post-blending:

Rating:  **** (4 out of 5)